ion of the News from AEFJN is now online. It contains news on UN Climate Summit in Durban (big business control the negotiations, REDD+ market mechanism is criticised), on protection of biodiversity and report on land rush, on Small Arms Flows and Communities in Kenya, on the Ethno-Religious Conflict in Nigeria, on Benin’s Universal Health Insurance Plan, efavirenz and AZT regimens for HIV treatment, on Africa lying naked to Euro-American Military Offensive and on Malawi urban poor hit by slew of price increases.
The national election campaign officially started the 28th October in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), exactly one month ahead of historic presidential and legislative elections, scheduled for November 28 2011. 41 humanitarian and human rights organizations, among them AEFJN, have expressed concern about the high political tension and deteriorating security situation. They have called upon all Congolese and international actors involved to take urgent measures to prevent electoral violence, better protect civilians and ensure credible, free and fair elections.
A simple booklet for workers in health centers in Africa, with guidelines on how to ensure the quality of purchased drugs. How can we assure the quality of the medicines we are buying? What do we need to know? What precautions should we take?
To encourage the commitment of AEFJN members in Africa, towards the fight against the proliferation of small arms in the continent, AEFJN has published a booklet with the organizations working for greater control of arms in Africa. UN Climate Summit
Moratorium on REDD+ Projects
African Environment Ministers change ball game of the UN climate talks
Durban, COP 17 (2011)
CLIMATE : the ethical responsibility of Churches
Food security and climate change
Dec 2010 - Cancún outcomes
EU-Africa Partnership on energy and climate change
2011 AfricaAdapt Climate Change Symposium
WCC's Declaration on Human Rights & Climate change
G8 and climate
Climate Talks Move Slowly
Copenhaguen Conclusions: The failure is a challenge
Disappointment for some, win or respite for the others
Right to Food, the roots for successful climate change policies
Climate change
Map of impacts of climate change on food, water, health and livelihhod
African civil society challenges African leaders on climate change policies
Africa in Copenhaguen
EU preparation for Copenhaguen
African civil society challenges African leaders
ALLIANCE FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY IN AFRICA (ASFA) Declaration
(25th November, 2009; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia):
We, the ALLIANCE FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY IN AFRICA (AFSA), representing small holder farmers, pastoralists, hunter/gatherers, indigenous peoples, citizens and environmentalists from Africa, salute the strong and unified approach that African leaders have taken in the run up to the UNFCC Climate Negotiations.
However, we believe that the current African government practices do not go far enough to protecting Africa’s Food Sovereignty, Biodiversity, and the Culture and Livelihoods of her people.
Developed countries have not met their obligations to cap and reduce emissions to mitigate climate change and have not provided adequate support for adaptation in Africa and other developing nations. Many of the so-called solutions proposed by the developed countries to address the climate crises are False Solutions. These include: biochar, agrofuels, hybrid and GM drought tolerant crops, carbon trading and so forth.
The developed countries’ positions are calculated to distract Africa from pursuing genuine solutions towards empowering communities towards attaining Food Sovereignty, conserving and sustainably using biodiversity and increasing the resilience of Africans to cope with the challenges posed by Climate Change.
We demand that African Leaders:
--Champion Small African Family Farming Systems based on agro ecological and Indigenous approaches that sustain food sovereignty and the livelihoods of communities while not neglecting other appropriate farming models;
--Protect the rights of the African people to indigenous seeds, plant and animal genetic resources and combat bio-piracy;
--Resist the Corporate Industrialization of African agriculture which will result in massive land grabs, displacement of indigenous peoples especially the pastoral communities and hunter gatherers and the destruction of their livelihoods and cultures;
--Reject the corporate takeover of African land, food production systems, indigenous knowledge and resources; and
--Bring to an end the continued exploitation of African resources for the consumerist demands of the North.
Africa will be watching her leaders at the upcoming Climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December and will hold them accountable for their engagements and decisions.
Remember that what we do now will have an impact on the current and future generations.
Signed by:
African Biodiversity Network (ABN)
African Centre for Biosafety (ACB)
Coalition for the Protection of African Genetic Heritage (COPAGEN)
Comparing and Supporting Endogenous Development (COMPAS)
Eastern and Southern African small scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF)
GRAIN
Indigenous Peoples of Africa Co-ordinating Committee (IPACC)
Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Association
Africa in Copenhague
Copenhaguen, December 09, 2009
A spontaneous march erupted on Wednesday 09 December by African participants inside the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen demanding an end to climate colonialism.
This was in response to the leaked “Danish text” or the “Copenhagen Agreement” which includes provisions to only limit the rise in global temperatures to two degrees. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change a two degree increase in the global mean temperature will cause a three or more degree increase for temperatures in Africa. Such an increase in temperature would lead to widespread devastation including predictions of a 50% reduction in crop yields in some areas, cutting food outputs in half, more than 600 million people left without adequate water supplies, and massive damage to coastlines, rural communities and cities.
Marching through the Conference Center African groups chanted: “Two degrees is suicide” “One Africa, One Degree” and “No to Climate Colonialism, No to Climate Genocide” in response to the proposal.
Additionally Indigenous Peoples from around the world condemned the leaked texts which totally excluded Indigenous Peoples’ rights on all key issues. (Source: http://globaljusticeecology.org/)
The preparation
Africa had field a team with full mandate to negotiate on climate change in the COP15 in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December 2009.
The African Union has called for an African common position to highlight the need for compensation for damage due to climate change.
African Parliamentarians have prepared the climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December. The African Parliamentarians Summit on Climate Change, entitled 'Climate Change: One Africa, One Voice, One Position', has been launched by Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. This was aimed at consolidating past and ongoing efforts and initiatives by Parliamentarians in Africa.